Obsessed fan aimed to snatch US pop singer at concert
LANA DEL REY, the US pop singer, was the victim of an alleged kidnap plot by an obsessed fan who planned to snatch her at a concert, police in Florida said.
Michael Hunt, the 43-year-old suspect, was arrested by detectives on Friday night, just a few hundred yards from where she was performing at a stadium in Orlando. He was said to be carrying a three-inch knife.
They were acting on a tip-off from a caller who said Hunt shared “cryptic and threatening” posts on social media towards the singer, whose real name is Elizabeth Grant.
Police did not reveal the exact wording of the threat, but a Facebook page apparently belonging to the suspect showed several posts leading up to her concert in which he professed his love for the singer, according to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.
“I want to see my queen on Friday and from that day forward our decisions will be as one,” he wrote on Jan 30. In a separate post, he said the singer “knows my face in her dreams” and “she’s my always and forever to be”.
Below a photo of her, one of Hunt’s friends commented on his actions. “Wow, I’m so happy for you Michael Hunt. I hope she makes you happy when you finally stalk her down and get your hands on her!” she wrote. Hunt reacted to the post with a heart.
On Wednesday, Hunt published a rambling video in which he talked about his plans to “get together” with Del Rey.
“I’m going to probably finish out her tour with her, obviously, and dance and talk and figure out what we’re going to do,” he added.
He now faces charges of attempted kidnapping with a weapon and aggravated stalking with a credible threat.
The arrest report obtained by the Orlando Sentinel revealed that Del Rey, 32, was frightened by the nature of the Facebook posts. But she made no mention of the incident on Twitter over the weekend, instead praising fans who came to her shows.